Overview

Profile summary

I am a hybrid academic, with a wiggly career path and years of exposure to different countries' educational systems, cultures, and ways of thinking. At the University of Plymouth, where I have worked since 2006, I combine the role of Learning Developer for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business, with the roles of Lecturer in Education and Associate Lecturer in History. I use this bridging position to enhance student experience and reinforce the link between the academic and pedagogic missions of the university.

My most recent publication, a co-edited book How to Be a Learning Developer in Higher Education, maps out the field of Learning Development in UK HE while critically engaging with this academic practice. My forthcoming book explores the transformations in teaching after the pandemic.

My key external role is leading the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education

I also co-host a podcast: The Learning Development Project

Roles on external bodies

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (JLDHE)
Steering Group member of Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE
ALDinHE Working Group: Peer Mentoring
External Collaborator at the International Legal Communication Research Center, University of Warsaw

Professional memberships

Senior Fellowship of Advance HE (SFHEA)

Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE)

Teaching interests

As a Learning Developer, I focus on building students' academic confidence by helping them develop strong academic skills, including writing, presentation making, conducting research, and working collaboratively.

In my role as a Lecturer in Education, I teach on undergraduate modules and International EdD, as well as supervising BA, PhD and EdD students.

In my role as a History lecturer, I teach on a range of modules related to US and World History. I also supervise undergraduate dissertations.

Supervised research degrees

Ed.D. in Education, second supervisor: ‘Conceptualising pupil voice – listening and hearing pupil experience(s)’

Ph.D. in Education, second supervisor: ‘How can informal education and intercultural competence development become more accessible to forcibly displaced people through social innovation and social entrepreneurship in Plymouth’

Ed.D. in Learning Development, External examiner: 'The framing and value of Learning Development work in British Higher Education: An illuminative evaluation of professional practice', University of Portsmouth

Additional information

On a more personal note:
I was born and raised in communist Poland. As a teenager I watched the Solidarity movement triumph and the democratic forces take over. Two degrees later and impatient at the pace of transformation, I packed my bags and moved to America, with my little girl in tow. Both enchanted and intrigued by the country and its culture, I decided to pursue a Doctoral degree in American Studies. This commitment ushered in the most challenging, rewarding, and illuminating years of my life, and allowed me to grow expertise in an area that keeps shifting and surprising. Subsequently, I made my home in the U.K., where I fulfill my personal and professional ambitions through teaching, publishing and research, and working closely with students, which is an absolute delight of my professional existence. 
My guiding thought: keep learning and keep moving.
My favourite philosophy: Albert Einstein's 'Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler'.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 4 - Quality Education
  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality
  • SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

Academic qualifications

22 Education and teaching, Other postgraduate qualification (e.g. PGCE, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma), Postgraduate Certificate of Academic Practice (PGCAP), University of Plymouth

Award Date: 31 May 2013

20 Historical, philosophical and religious studies, Doctorate, Ph.D. in American Studies: 'Eastern Europe in the Making of American National Identity', Saint Louis University

Award Date: 17 Sept 2008

15 Social sciences, Other higher degree (e.g. Masters degree), M.A. in Sociology of Human Behaviour, University of Szczecin

Award Date: 31 May 2001

15 Social sciences, First Degree, B.A. in Sociology of Human Behaviour, University of Szczecin

Award Date: 31 May 1999

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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